Bernhart Hiring Survey: Jobs Outlook Weakens

BERNHART ASSOCIATES’ Q4 HIRING SURVEY RELEASED:

MARKETERS’ EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK WEAKENS

Companies report less hiring ahead, hiring freezes rise

Written by Jerry Bernhart

Owatonna, MN, September 26, 2012—Digital and direct marketers hoping for a big rebound in hiring will have to wait until at least next year, according to Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Report for the fourth quarter of 2012. 

"In terms of job creation we're only a few points ahead of a year ago," said Jerry Bernhart, leading direct and digital marketing recruiter and principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, which conducts the widely tracked quarterly hiring survey.  “Much like the overall US economy, our employment indicators have remained within a narrow range for the past year and a half.   We'd like to see better numbers, but for lower to mid-level digital and direct marketing job seekers there is plenty of activity out there".

The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates’ quarter-four (Q4) survey:

•   46% of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in the current quarter, down from 50% in the Spring.  One year ago the index stood at 40%. 

•   21% of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, up from 13% during the spring quarter.

•   The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q4 increased slightly to 5%, compared with 4% in the second quarter.

•   Agencies are leading the way in new hiring, with 52% reporting plans to add to staff before the end of the year.

•   After trailing BtoB for most of the year, BtoC marketers are now running even in all of the major indicators including hiring plans, expected layoffs and current hiring freezes.

Bernhart said agency hiring has been running strong all year and is picking up steam heading into the final quarter.

"Most of the calls we're getting are from agencies, " said Bernhart, who added that many agency openings are taking much longer to fill compared with a year ago.  Bernhart noted that the problem is especially acute for fast-growing digital agencies located in smaller markets.  

When asked what positions will be in greatest need during the coming quarter, employers listed analytic-related jobs on top, followed by marketing, web designers, account management and sales.  

"Some of the more specialized positions mentioned included tablet developer, a full-time blogger, and a mobile experience specialist", Bernhart added.

 "We're also seeing something of a bifurcated job market when it comes to experience.  Demand at the executive level is being far surpassed by openings for more junior level talent, and that gap has been widening in recent quarters." 

Bernhart shared these other empirical observations:

• "We're starting to hear the word 'desperate' from employers more often, particularly in the areas of web analytics and creative.  In some cases, that is resulting in offers to bump salary as much as 15-20%."

• "Counter-offers are on the rise.  No surprise given some of the shortages mentioned above."

• "While representing a small minority of job-seekers, we're fielding more calls from individuals who have decided to quit before finding something better.  This trend is a sign of growing confidence in the digital and direct marketing labor market."

• "Most executive recruiters are busy.  A good sign, because we're often the hiring solution of last resort."

• "Job openings are being posted on multiple social networks, underlining the importance of using social media in a job search.

Not surprisingly LinkedIn takes the lead, but don't forget Twitter."

• "I would estimate that the overall unemployment rate for digital and direct marketing, if we could calculate and track such a number, would be at least a couple of points below the jobless rate for the entire US economy.  We're in a good space."

Bernhart Associates’ Q4 hiring survey was emailed on September 13 and 19 to more than 15,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing.  A total of 450 organizations responded to the nationally followed hiring-trends survey, which is now in its thirteenth year.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2011, marketers—commercial and nonprofit—spent $163 billion on direct marketing, which accounts for 52.1% of all ad expenditures in the US. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $1.96 trillion in incremental sales. In 2011, direct marketing accounted for 8.7% of total US gross domestic product. Also last year, there were 1.3 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 7.9 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.2 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates' website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the front page of the digital and direct marketing recruiting firm’s website.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com
jerry.bernhart@gmail.com Google

Marketers' Employment Outlook Stable- Layoffs/Hiring Freezes Are Down, New Job Creation Levelling Off

Owatonna, MN, April 17, 2012—After a big spike in first-quarter hiring, employers plan to hold firm on staffing this spring, according to Bernhart Associates' Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Report for the second quarter of 2012. 

“The good news is that the downward trend continues in hiring freezes and staff cuts, and in some categories, layoffs are at an all time low,” said Jerry Bernhart, leading direct and digital marketing recruiter and principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, which conducts the widely tracked quarterly hiring survey. “But we’re not seeing improvement in the rate of new job creation.  The same uncertainties that worry economists and financial markets apparently also worry digital and direct marketers.”

The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates’ quarter-two (Q2) survey:

• 50% of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in the current quarter, down  from 52% last quarter. One year ago, the index stood at 45%.
• 13% of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, compared with 19% during the winter quarter.
• The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q2 dropped to 4%, compared with 6% last quarter.
• Business-to-consumer marketers continued leading the way in planned new hiring at 54%.
• Among business-to-business participants, 47% said they expect to add to staff in the spring quarter, down slightly from 48% last quarter.
• Layoffs at agencies, services and marketers collectively have dipped to an all-time survey low of 3%.

When asked what positions will be in greatest need during the current quarter, employers listed analytic-related jobs on top, followed by marketing, web designers, sales, and account management.

"This is the first time in the 12-year history of the survey that demand for web designers has reached the top five," said Bernhart. 
The second-quarter Bernhart report comes on the heels of a separate report released earlier this month by the online careers and recruiting firm Monster Worldwide, showing that its own employment index was unchanged from February.

Bernhart Associates’ Q2 hiring survey was emailed on April 3 to more than 14,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 384 organizations responded to the nationally followed hiring-trends survey, which is now in its twelfth year.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2011, marketers—commercial and nonprofit—spent $163 billion on direct marketing, which accounts for 52.1% of all ad expenditures in the US. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $1.96 trillion in incremental sales. In 2011, direct marketing accounted for 8.7% of total US gross domestic product. Also last year, there were 1.3 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 7.9 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.2 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC’s website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the front page of the digital and direct marketing recruiting firm’s website.


Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Marketers' Employment Outlook Weakens For Remainder of 2011

Owatonna, MN, September 26, 2011—The sputtering US economy is impacting job prospects for digital and direct marketers, according to Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report for the fourth quarter of 2011.

“All three of our key employment indicators—new hiring, layoffs, and hiring freezes—have weakened slightly since our last survey in April,” said Jerry Bernhart, leading direct marketing recruiter and Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, which conducts the quarterly employment survey. “Despite this, overall employment levels remain strong in digital and direct marketing, and, in fact, many employers actually are telling us that they face challenges filling critical openings because of a shortage of qualified candidates.”

The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates’ quarter-four (Q4) survey:

• 40% of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in Q4, down from 45% six months ago and 52% at the beginning of the year.

• 20% of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, up from 16% in the spring quarter.

• The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q4 rose to 8%, compared with 4% six months ago.

• Marketers are reporting the most aggressive hiring plans, followed closely by service providers and then agencies. Bernhart added that not a single agency reported they’re expecting layoffs in the coming quarter, and business-to-consumer is slightly outpacing business-to-business in both new hiring and fewer hiring freezes for the remainder of 2011.

When asked what positions will be in greatest demand during the coming quarter, employers placed analytic-related jobs on top, followed by marketing, sales, creative, and IT.

“Overall, we’ve been seeing layoffs creep higher in recent months, and that is the most worrisome trend,” said Bernhart. “I’ve noticed that first-hand just from the jump in the number of resumes that have been coming into our office since the beginning of summer.”

Bernhart said that 61% of employers who responded indicated they were experiencing various degrees of difficulty attracting the right talent for their open positions. Among that group, when asked what was causing those challenges, they cited the following:

• 50% attributed it to a shortage of qualified candidates.

• 18% said candidates were looking for more compensation than was being offered.

• 18% cited lack of specific job skills or technical skills.

• 10% blamed relocation obstacles.

“Employers offered plenty of anecdotal observations in connection with this question, and several pointed out that as fewer people have been tasked with doing more, there is a growing need for people who offer multiple areas of expertise,” said Bernhart.

“On the surface, it seems paradoxical that positions are going empty with the US jobless rate as high as it is,” Bernhart observed. “But if there were a national unemployment figure for digital and direct marketers it would probably be half that for the overall economy. Most digital and direct marketers are working, and in this economy they’re just as leery about leaving their jobs as employers are selective about filling theirs.”

Bernhart Associates’ Q4 hiring survey was emailed on September 12 and 20 to more than 11,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 398 organizations responded to the nationally followed employment-trends survey, which is now in its eleventh year.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2010, marketers—commercial and nonprofit—spent $153.3 billion on direct marketing, which accounted for 54.2% of all advertising expenditures in the United States. Measured against total U.S. sales, these ad expenditures generated approximately $1.8 trillion in incremental sales. In 2010, direct marketing accounted for 8.3% of total U.S. gross domestic product. Also, in 2010 there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the U.S. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.8 million U.S. jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC’s website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the front page of the digital and direct marketing recruiting firm’s website.


Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Bernhart Associates Employment Survey Released: 2011 Starts Off Strong, Hiring to Rebound

Owatonna, MN, January 18, 2011—Digital and direct marketers are planning a surge in hiring this winter with agencies leading the way, according to Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report for the first quarter of 2011.

“I expected a bounce, but nothing like this, which is very encouraging,” said Jerry Bernhart, leading direct marketing recruiter and Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, which conducts the quarterly employment survey. “This is the most positive quarterly improvement we’ve ever seen in the 11-year history of our quarterly survey.”

The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates’ Quarter 1 (Q1) survey:

• Fifty-two percent (52%) of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in Q1, up from 41% last quarter (Q4).

• Sixteen percent (16%) of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, down sharply from 35% in Q4.

• The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q1 dropped to 4%, compared with 8% in Q4.

• Sixty-three percent (63%) of agencies responding to the survey plan to add staff, with none planning cutbacks and only one agency reporting a hiring freeze.

Survey results show that marketing hiring budgets are still being pinched on the client side, which are lagging the agencies and service providers in planned hiring. But Bernhart notes that nearly one out of every two marketers still will have positions to fill in the current quarter.

“Business-to-business hiring plans outpaced business-to-consumer, and also reported fewer expected layoffs and hiring freezes,” added Bernhart.

Bernhart said that while direct marketing may not reach the boom levels seen prior to 2008, he expects hiring to continue building momentum in 2011, noting the following key trends:

- Digital and direct marketers are revising upward their projections for 2011 as margins improve and demand picks up, creating the need for more headcount.

- The number of online digital and direct marketing-related job listings has been up sharply in the past couple months.

- Bernhart Associates, a nationally recognized digital and direct marketing recruiting firm, has seen a “dramatic” decline in the number of resumes from recently laid-off digital and direct marketers.

-Bernhart further noted that he is fielding more calls from companies asking about executive searches, adding, “you don’t see that happen unless job recovery is taking hold.”

Among those companies planning to add staff, Bernhart said digital and direct marketing openings will be across the board and at all levels. “Usually we see a couple of job categories stand out, but this time it’s very broad-based with marketing, analytics, and sales topping the list, along with a strong showing among IT-related positions.”

Bernhart Associates’ Q1 hiring survey was emailed on January 5 and 12 to more than 11,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 399 organizations responded to the widely followed employment-trends survey.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, marketers—commercial and nonprofit—spent $149.3 billion on direct marketing, which accounted for 54.3% of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total U.S. sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $1.783 trillion in incremental sales. DMA further reported that, in 2009, there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the U.S. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.9 million American jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC’s website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates’ website.

# # #

About Bernhart Associates

Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, is owned by Jerry Bernhart, a leading and nationally recognized digital and direct marketing recruiter, writer, and speaker. Founded in 1991, Bernhart Associates today recruits for positions at all levels in Multichannel Direct Marketing, CRM, E-Commerce, Database Marketing, Business Development, and Marketing Analytics. Respected as a leading authority on issues related to digital and direct marketing recruiting, Jerry is a frequent speaker at national marketing conferences and is often quoted by the industry news media. Jerry has written dozens of articles for the leading online and offline multichannel marketing publications.

The Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Survey, now in its eleventh year, has become the most widely followed employment report in digital and direct marketing and measures employers’ hiring plans for the coming quarter. It is the only forward-looking employment survey of its kind in digital and direct marketing and unparalleled in size and scope.

Bernard Silverman and Affiliates, Naperville, IL, contributes research and analysis for the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Bernie can be reached at bernie@bsilverman.com.

Douglas Berger Communications, New York City, provides communications services for the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Doug is the former Director of Executive and Member Communications for the Direct Marketing Association. He can be contacted at douglasbergernyc@gmail.com.

# # #

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Bernhart Associates' Q4 Employment Survey Released: Hiring Indicators Hold Steady

Owatonna, MN, October 6, 2010 --- If you're a digital or direct marketer looking for employment don't expect much of a change during the rest of 2010, according to Bernhart Associates' latest Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report.

"The index we watch most closely , the one that measures new hiring plans, is crawling back up, so we are definitely moving in the right direction," said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC and one of the nation's leading direct marketing recruiters. "At the same time, though, many digital and direct marketers continue to face strong economic headwinds, and some are being forced to consider more layoffs and hiring freezes to get headcount to where it needs to be for 2011."

The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates' Quarter 4 (Q4) survey:

• Forty-one percent (41%) of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in Q4, up from 39% last quarter.

• Thirty-five percent (35%) of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, up from 23% in Q3.

• The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q4 rose to 8%, compared with 6% last quarter.

• Most of the new hiring is coming from business-to-business (B-to-B) service providers, with nearly one-half of those respondents reporting plans to add to staff during Q4.

'This will be the third straight quarter in which planned B-to-B hiring has outpaced B-to-C", Bernhart said.

Bernhart also noted that since results are not seasonally adjusted, it's not unusual to see a spike in hiring freezes as the year draws to a close.
" A lot of companies have completed their hiring for 2010, and will re-assess their needs come the new year," said Bernhart.

Among those companies planning to add to staff, marketing-related
positions will be in greatest demand for the remainder of 2010, followed by I.T. "In fact, the marketing and technical job categories far outnumbered positions in analytics, account management and sales, which in recent years have consistently been at or near the top of this list", Bernhart pointed out.

Bernhart also noted that the importance of data reveals itself in the titles of two soon-to-be-filled positions, each of them called simply "Data Expert".

Bernhart Associates’ Q4 hiring survey was emailed to more than 10,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 369 organizations responded to the widely followed employment-trends survey between September 23 and October 4, 2010.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, direct marketing advertising expenditures as a portion of total US advertising expenditures grew to 54.3%, and generated 8.3% of US gross domestic product. Also in 2009, there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.9 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the Direct Marketing Association’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC’s website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates’ website.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com